How to Enable Dark Mode in Google Chrome for Android & PC
The much-awaited feature of Google Chrome for Android is here, chrome has the dark mode. That’s what we wanted as a native feature. Isn’t it? So, if you are someone who has a lot of tab hanging around and read a lot from those tabs, this setting is for you.
I’m always in front of my PC whenever I’m awake. Also, when I’m about to sleep, I either gulp episodes from Netflix or read something, most of the times on Google Chrome. And I’ve read that mobile screen lights at night affect your sleep, i.e. you will fall asleep later than usual due to the blue light of the display.
With that said, let me share the ways to enable dark mode on Android & PC
Enable Dark Mode(read mode) for Chrome on Android & PC
Sadly, there’s no native way to enable dark across all websites. With the native setting, you can simply enable dark mode for the Google homepage and the toolbar.
I will include two ways to enable dark mode on Android and/or PC.
Enable Dark Mode on Android
With Chrome version 74 you can enable dark mode natively. Here are the steps to do so
Step 1: Open Chrome on Android
Step 2: Enter this URL chrome://flags in the search bar
Step 3: Search for #enable-android-night-mode
Step 4: Chrome will prompt to relaunch the browser.
Once the browser relaunches, you will have the homepage of Google in dark mode, but this will not enable dark mode for all websites. You will still see the white webpages that are potent enough to blind you.
Pro Tip: You can use Kiwi browser as you can enable night mode for all the webpages and you can read carefree, thereafter.
If this isn’t enough and you need absolute dark mode, continue to read on.
Enable dark mode(read mode) in Chrome on Android & PC
I’m sorry to say, absolute dark mode for chrome or ‘Night mode for chrome’ isn’t available as of now. A dark mode that is a feature on Twitter or Facebook messenger Android app as ‘Night mode’.
Even if you enable the night mode on chrome, you’d simply have the homepage of Google Chrome in “Dark mode”. While browsing, the toolbar will be in dark mode. Nothing more than that.
If you are wanting an absolute dark mode on chrome for your android mobile, either wait for Android Q to roll up or install extensions like Night Shift, Night Eye and Care Your Eyes. You can install these chrome extensions on Android phones too.
You can even install this on your PC to have a safe browsing experience. If you have kids using the PC you better opt for Night Eye. It’s paid but has some cool features where you can control the brightness, saturation, blue light and more. It costs $9 a year which is nothing when compared to your eyes.
This will still not remove white webpages while you browse on Gooogle Chrome.
But hang on! The best is yet to come.
I don’t use any of these.
I’ve installed one tool that takes care of my eye soon after the sunset and brings the PC to normal after sunset.
Here’s how I have enabled Night Mode on PC
Step 1: Open Settings on windows(Use keyboard shortcut Win+I)
Step 2: Open Personalization menu
Step 3: Change the default app mode to ‘Dark’ mode.
The problem with this mode is that the webpages are still white.
But what if I tell you that there’s a way to enable reading mode on your PC that would more or less do the same thing that the Dark Mode for Chrome would do.
You can install that enables system-wide reading mode and hence making the browsing experience very easy and useful to you. I also use Eye relax that turn off the screen every 25 minutes(you can set the time)
Furthermore, most of the Android smartphones have a reading mode as a core feature. But if you are using a smartphone that doesn’t support that feature, simply install the Blue Light Filter app or Twilight app for Android.
Final thoughts
While we wait for the native Dark Mode with Android Q, this is the best we can do not hurt our eyes while using PC and/or mobile. Sure, there’s a dark mode for Android, but that’s pretty useless as it simply darkens the homepage of the browser and the toolbar when a webpage is active.
I hope these settings helped you take care of your eyes. If this has helped you, feel free to share with your friends & family so that even they can keep their eyes safe.
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Originally published at http://www.smarterworld.in on April 30, 2019.
